Teacher Certification

All public schools and many private schools in the USA require teachers to have a valid teaching certificate. This page is a guide to the procedures for becoming certified and describes the types of certification and the endorsements available at ORU.

Oklahoma Certification Standards

The State of Oklahoma converted from course/credit hour standards to "competency-based" programs in 1997. The Teacher and Administrator Preparation Programs were established as a result of Oklahoma statutes, rules and regulations of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education and endorsed by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation. See the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

Oklahoma is on the forefront of school reform. The January 1998, issue of Education Week magazine highlighted this progress in a Special Report entitled "Quality Counts". The state was ranked number one nationally in teacher standards and in the top ten in curriculum standards.

Teacher Preparation Program

The College of Education (SOE) offers a comprehensive Teacher Education Program that is designed to train qualified teachers for Early Childhood, Elementary, Special Education, and K-12 and Secondary teaching assignments.

Certification Examinations

The State of Oklahoma requires that three tests be passed before a teacher can receive a license/certificate. Individuals must complete the Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT), the Oklahoma General Education Test (OGET), and the Oklahoma Professional Teaching Examination (OPTE) before receiving an initial teaching license.

After completing 90 hours of course work, which includes the student's specialization area, the students may choose to take the OGET and the OSAT. The OPTE should be taken during the student teaching second placement. One does not have to wait until graduation to take these tests. It is required to take the OGET & OSAT before student teaching and the OPTE before graduation.

The certification tests are administered five times a year on the dates listed in the Test Bulletin, which is available in the College of Education for students or directly from the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation.

In order to prepare to take the tests, there are Study Guides that may be ordered months in advance of taking the test. Order forms are available in the Test Bulletin.

When registering for the test, because of the high standards in Oklahoma and extensive interstate agreements, students planning to teach in a different state or country should have few problems securing a license if they have the Oklahoma Standard License. Most states require that the teacher take that state's certification exam. If one chooses not to obtain an Oklahoma license, it is suggested that the student should contact their state and ask for information to secure the initial license.

Title II

Application for Licensure/Certification

After completing student teaching and passing the three certification tests, including OPTE, the student is eligible to apply for the Oklahoma Standard License. The application is completed with the Certification Officer. The following procedures/documents are to be submitted when making application (December graduates follow this same procedure):

Submit application

Submit an official transcript from each college/university attended

Submit a check or money order for the required fee.

Out of State Applicants

Teachers who hold out-of-state credentials and want to be certified in the state of Oklahoma may contact the Oklahoma State Department of Education or the ORU Certification Officer for information.

Oklahoma Certification Information

Alternative Placement Program

Oklahoma offers an alternative program to those who qualify. Contact the Oklahoma State Department of Education/Alternative Program to apply.